SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. (Ichor) announced today that it has entered
into a product development collaboration and worldwide license agreement
with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Janssen). Under the agreement, which
was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the parties will work
together to develop and commercialize DNA-based vaccine products for the
treatment of chronic hepatitis B using Ichor’s TriGrid™ electroporation
technology for clinical administration. Ichor will receive an upfront
payment, R&D support, and development and sales milestone payments up to
a potential total of approximately $85 million USD, as well as royalty
payments on any future licensed product sales. Janssen will assume
responsibility for certain development costs and all commercialization
costs associated with the program, including manufacturing and
distribution expense for Ichor’s TriGrid Delivery System.

Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by
the hepatitis B virus (HBV). More than two billion people alive today
have been infected with HBV. Presently, there are over 240 million
people worldwide that carry the virus and remain chronically infected.
Current treatments seldom eliminate the virus and are often associated
with severe adverse reactions.

DNA vaccines are an emerging vaccine platform that are able to generate
antigen-specific antibodies and T cells, the latter being crucial for
long-term resolution of HBV infection. However, the efficacy of DNA
vaccines delivered by conventional injection has been hindered by poor
delivery efficiency, resulting in suboptimal immune responses in
clinical trials.

Electroporation is a potent delivery method that uses brief electrical
pulses to transiently alter cell membranes, facilitating entry of DNA
into cells. Ichor’s patented TriGrid Delivery System, which is currently
being tested in clinical trials in four continents, is the first
integrated and fully automated device for electroporation-mediated DNA
administration in humans. Previous clinical studies have shown the
TriGrid to significantly enhance immune responses to the delivered
vaccines compared to conventional injection, leading to positive
clinical outcomes in diseased populations.

Robert Bernard, Ichor Founder and CEO, stated, “Janssen’s decision to
couple our clinically validated TriGrid electroporation technology with
their DNA vaccine for HBV is extraordinarily exciting for Ichor. Our
scientists and engineers look forward to this opportunity to collaborate
with Janssen in the development of immunotherapies for patients
suffering from chronic hepatitis B infection.”

About Ichor Medical Systems, Inc.

Ichor Medical Systems’ TriGrid™ Delivery System (TriGrid) is the first
integrated and fully automated device for electroporation-mediated DNA
administration in humans. Ichor, a privately-held biotech company based
in San Diego, CA, is collaborating with partners to provide its enabling
TriGrid platform as a means for delivery of DNA drugs and vaccines in
disease indications such as cancer, malaria, hepatitis B virus (HBV)
infection, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) infection, and Ebola, as well as for multiple biodefense
agents. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),
the TriGrid platform is also being developed for DNA-based antibody
delivery as a rapid countermeasure in the event of an infectious
outbreak or biological weapons attack. Visit http://www.ichorms.com.